Constellations
by Elin B
Summary: Wakaba and Utena watch the stars together: that's pretty much it. Friendship shortfic, perhaps somewhat bittersweet.


AUTHOR'S NOTES: This fic is based on the anime series. No real spoilers as such (maybe a very vague one for episode 14).

DISCLAIMER: Revolutionary Girl Utena was created and is owned by the production group Be-Papas, including manga author Chiho Saito. This fanfic was written without permission for entertainment purposes only. It is not to be used for profit, nor reproduced without the author's consent.

Constellations

A Revolutionary Girl Utena fanfic by Elin B

It was a clear, crisp night in August and the first few stars were alreay twinkling in the darkening sky when Wakaba had the idea of suggesting a star-gazing picnic. It was nice out, and tomorrow was Sunday, she'd pointed out, meaning they could sleep in. They could bring a star chart and pick out constellations so they'd feel they'd learned something, too. Maybe their Astronomy teacher might even be impressed.

She'd been pleased to see Utena's face lighting up at once, losing that soft, pensive, merging-on-melancholic air she'd had for a while and which Wakaba frankly was getting tired of. Utena promptly proclaimed this an excellent idea and they decided right away that Wakaba would fix the grub and bring a blanket if it should turn chilly, while Utena would bring nothing but her own lovely cool self, enough to scare any potential muggers away for sure.

Less happily from Wakaba's point of view, her friend had then gone on to say she'd just go home first and ask Anthy Himemiya if she wanted to come, too. Wakaba's heat had snak at that. She did try to be friendly, she really did, but that girl made it so hard… But then Utena remembered that Himemiya would stay over at her brother's place tonight. Still she'd seemed inclined to go home and pick up Chu-Chu so he wouldn't feel lonely. Wakaba wouldn't have minded that nearly so much, but she still persuaded Utena it would be much easier to skip that step. Secretly she was kind of afraid Utena would be caught up in something if she let her out of her sight, like those secret duels or something, and wouldn't be able to come after all.

When they get out from her dorms, carrying basket, thermos and blanket, the sky is all dark and glittering with countless stars, shining a lot clearer than on most nights. They pick out a good spot in the park, away from the streetlights, and sit themselves down. Wakaba finds her chattering dying down as she looks up at the vaste expanses. She sighs softly.

"So pretty…" she mumbles.

"Yeah," says Utena in a whisper. Then she clears her throat. "Sure is. Umm… did you bring the chart?"

They spend a short while trying to match the diagrams on the chart with the luminous reality above them, munching rice cakes and drinking tea; but soon they give up that nominal excuse and grow mostly quiet again, talking about why the stars and the constellations are called the way they're called, going into a bit of astrology on the way, too. It turns out that Utena has heard quite a bit about tales and legends concerning the stars, especially the ones from ancient Greece.

"Know what the Greeks thought?" she says after a while. "That if you'd been a great hero when you lived, I mean one of the really famous ones, like slaying a dragon to save a princess or killing many-headed monsters with your own hands, or something else that made the gods happy… well, then you wouldn't really die, when your time on Earth was done. You'd get taken up to the sky and, and turn into a star. Or sometimes a whole constellation. Immortality, see?"

"Oh…Huh," says Wakaba, feeling too peaceful to exclaim how awesome it is that Utena knows that sort of thing. Although it iis/i pretty cool. But maybe not all that surprising… "But wouldn't that be kind of boring, though? Just hanging on to one place in the sky, shining there for the rest of infinity? Sounds like a weird kind of paradise."

Utena chuckled. "I guess…" The she grew more thoughtful again. "Or maybe not… Maybe stars can still have adventures, up there in space. Only it's not something that we would ever see." She reaches over for the last rice cake, breaking it in half. "And they get to see everything that's going on down on earth, too. Hey, is there any tea left?"

She reaches out for the thermos, but Wakaba teases her first, holding it out of reach and pretending to want to drink it up herself. Utena smacks in mock impatience and eventually succeeds in grabbing it anyway. Wakaba pulls the blanket up over her legs and puts her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, looking up quietly. She offers the rest of the big blanket to Utena, who takes it after a bit of hesitation, covering her own legs.

Wakaba snuggles closer, putting her head against Utena's shoulder. Utena sits still now, cup in hand but not drinking, her face turned upwards, still and beautiful in the faint starlight.

One day you'll be up there, you know, Wakaba thinks. One day you'll leave this humdrum daily life and go join all the other heroes in the vast, vast darkness. You'll be off on a white steed, sword in hand, riding to face down and defeat all the dragons and monsters and evil men, glittering brighter than diamonds. You'll be a true prince, like you've always wanted.

And sometimes you'll look down on earth and see all the places and people you used to know, and maybe you'll spot me then, just going about my daily life like us normal people do, we who can never be princes or princesses. Then I bet you'll wave down at me, with this big happy smile on your face. Maybe you'll even salute me.

And I'll wave back with a smile.

And you will go on.


End file.
